The Smile
by Impractical Joker
Summary: Red and Yellow spend a quiet day together. Mostly fluff. Specialshipping


It is my first fic. I know generic title is generic but I suck at titles.

Your review is what I want the most:)

* * *

Despite his boyish innocence, Red is not entirely oblivious to his effects on girls. He may not have Green's stoic good looks, Gold's dashing confidence or Ruby's disarming sensitivity, yet his bottomless energy and almost childlike sincerity gives him his own brand of charm, as many girls have noticed. Now that he is nineteen and straddling the line between boy and man, mixing innocence with budding masculinity, his popularity is not going to go down any time soon. Being the Champion and having saved the world on multiple occasions don't hurt his appeal either.

Yet Red has always kept all the girls at a metaphoric arm's length. It is not that he cannot feel the allure of the opposite sex (he _is_ a teenage boy); he just considers romance to be mere sideshows to the much grander and overwhelmingly more important adventure that is his quest to become an ever better trainer. Red has decided that he cannot afford to slow down his quest by being mingled in relationships. Therefore, he has chosen to ignore every girl even if it means hurting them for the short term, because he knows he will always choose saving others and bettering himself as a trainer over his romance. So far Red has been successful in ignoring them. Most of them, that is.

Except Yellow. Yellow is different.

Yellow is a Nice Girl. Always smiling, always cheerful, always assumes the best of other people. She has the rare gift to make everyone feel better for themselves just by being around them. She reminds one of the warm sun of spring, a clear little river and the shade of a tree surrounded by flowers. She can forgive anything you do (unless you try to harm the innocent or threaten her home town, in which case you're in for a nasty surprise of how much ass a small, gentle girl can kick). She is not just the Healer of pokemons, but also of people's hearts.

Red may not be able to express these in so many words, but feels drawn to her nonetheless. Her company is just so…comforting. Reassuring. Like nothing can ever go wrong and you can always depend on her for a good cheer after a bad day. And Red still finds it unbelievable that such a sweet girl actually _has a crush_ him.

* * *

That is why, one spring afternoon, after Red visited the Viridian Gym for a chat – and a quick battle, of course – with Green (it was a draw), he finds his legs bringing himself to the doorsteps of Yellow's house before he knows it. _Well, might as well find out if she's here_, Red thinks. He presses the doorbell.

"Coming!" a voice answers. _Her_ voice.

The door opens. Red sees before him Yellow's petite figure in her familiar outfit, without the boots of course. She has her hair down. Red has never seen her hair down and so is surprised how better it makes her look, if it's even possible.

Yellow lets out a quiet "eh?" when she sees it is Red at her door. Then her face reddens in her usual fashion. "I… Red-san, it's you. You surprise me!"

"I… eh… want to give you a surprise," Red rubs the back of his head with his right hand, "I went to see Green and think I'd drop by."

"Thank you! Em…why don't you come in?"

"Sure."

Red gets seated on her sofa, and Yellow hovers nervously at the edge of the sitting room.

"Do you want anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Sorry I am out of soft drinks." At long last Yellow manages.

"Water is OK, thank you." Red puts his hands on his knees, "Actually I think it's such a waste to stay at home on such a nice day. How about we go out for a walk in the forest? You can take your sketchbook and fishing rod."

"Great!" Yellow says, "Let me get my stuff from my room."

"Can I have a look of your room?" Red says without thinking and, more fatally, before he fully realizes the implications. When he does a second later he immediately blushes. He is a guy, alone with a seventeen-year-old girl in her house. She is madly in love with him and he is asking to go to her room. He hopes she doesn't get the wrong idea. "Only if you want me to, of course."

The implication is not entirely lost to Yellow. Her face becomes a shade redder and her eyes shift to the floor. "Sure! Just let me get it tidy first. I'll be quick."

They walked up stairs together to her room's door. She goes in and he stays away from the door at a tactful distance. After a minute or so of the sound of stuffs getting stuffed into places Red hears her say "It's OK now."

Red enters to find a room that can only be described as very…Yellow. Not yellow (in fact the walls are blue), _Yellow_. A simple wood-framed bed on the right side. A small desk against the windows with a few books, a sketchbook and colour pencils on it. A wardrobe on the left side. A fishing rod leans against the bed. Yellow's straw hat is hung on the back of the door. The windows let in the warm afternoon sunshine. Red looks around at the sketches that adorn the walls. There are sketches of pokemons (there is a sketch for each of Yellow's pokemon, and one with the three of Pika, Chuchu and Pichu), sceneries (mostly rivers and forests) and people (she has made one with all the dex holders together at the Battle Frontier). Red's eyes finally rest on the open sketchbook on the desk. He can see a drawing, almost complete, on it.

Yellow notices him staring at the drawing. _How did I forget to close it stupid stupid stupid-_ She hurries to close the sketchbook and tries to hide it behind her. Red can only tell it is a drawing of a person before she it away. "Em…It's just something I'm working on, it's nothing to look at and…Why don't you sit on the bed? I'll just get my hair done a bit and we can go."

Red, being the easy-going guy that he is, asks no questions, just says "No rush" with a smile and sits down.

Yellow stands in front of the mirror on the wardrobe to tie her hair into a ponytail. As she raises her arms, Red can't help but notice this motion accentuates her… part that reminds him she is a girl. It's not much, but it's (they're?) there. He has never even noticed she has… girls' parts before. The shocking reminder hits Red: _She is a girl!_

His face flushes slightly at the thought, and he shifts uneasily on the bed. Now he sits so straight even Platinum would approve.

"Red-san, are you alright?"

"Nothing's wrong. Don't you think it's getting stuffy in here?"

"I'm sorry. I can open the windows for you."

"There's no need to. I'm alright."

Red is now acutely aware that he is in a girl's room. Now he starts to smell…her. The aroma reminds him of straws and flowers and sunshine. His mind is leading him down tracks that make him thankful Yellow can only read pokemon minds. Hot and bothered has never been such apt description for him.

After what feels likes a century to Red, she finishes and takes her drawing tools and fishing net and put on her straw hat. "Sorry for making you wait so long. Let's go!"

It is a pleasant walk into the Viridian Forest. Yellow points out places of interest for Red and gives him enthusiastic explanations. Even though most of them are just trees and rocks and common wild pokemons, they both talk excitedly as if they are the most interesting things in the world. Yellows eyes _sparkle_ when she talks about her beloved home town. Red offers to carry her stuffs and she lets him, except for the sketchbook.

They reach Yellow's favourite spot beside the stream and sit down in the shade beneath a tree. Every plant is green and lush; flowers of every colour are blooming. The clear little stream hums quietly, reflecting sparkles of sunlight into their eyes. Pokemons can be seen playing around in the distance. Everything is a scene out of a Ghibli file (except for the pokemons).

"I didn't know the forest can be so beautiful." Red says.

"Glad you like it." Yellow beams.

They release Pika and Chuchu and the two Pikachus start hugs and rubs each other merrily right away. The two trainers both blushes at the sight inexplicably.

Yellow takes out her rod and starts fishing, Red sitting beside her. Normally Red feels uneasy to just sit down and do nothing, but the combined peacefulness of the serene surroundings and the even more serene Yellow wins over his innate activeness, and for once he is content to just sit and watch Yellow fish. Plus he has a nice view of her profile from here.

"Yellow, did I tell you you look better without your hat?"

"No… Really? You really think so?"

"Yes. Your hair is lovely. And it matches your eyes."

Yellow blushes more furiously than any time today. "I don't know. I've never really thought about how I look."

_Of course you don't._ Red thinks. "Can you take off your hat once in a while? For me?"

"If you say so…" She slowly takes off her hat and let her blonde hair flows down her shoulder.

"I _knew_ I was right." Red smiles, "It does match your eyes."

"Th-Thank you."

Silence falls between them – in the best way possible – and the only sound they can hear is only the rustling of the stream and the occasional merry cry of unseen pokemons. They take turn stealing glances at each other when they think the other is not looking.

Red, unaccustomed to such quietness and inactivity, finds his eyelids trying to close against his will. After a fight he succumbs to sleep and half-lie-half-sits against the tree.

Yellow notices this and a warm smile appears on her face. She takes out her drawing gear and turns the sketchbook to the page that Red has had a glance.

* * *

When Red wakes up he sees everything around him with an orange tinge. It is already near sunset.

"I've never seen you fall asleep on me, Red-san." Yellow is looking at her sketchbook, and she hurriedly tugs it away when she notices Red wake up, "It's usually the other way round."

Red lets out a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "It's too comfortable here. I couldn't help it. I'm sorry."

"I understand. I have lost count of how many times I have fallen asleep here."

"It's so late already! We should go now."

They call back their Pikachus and backtrack the path they came from. There is a comfortable silence between them. Red wishes the path goes on forever.

They finally arrives at her house. Red says "It was a great day! Thank you for being with me. I hope I didn't bore you."

"Of course you didn't! I had a great day too. Actually, Red-san, I…em…want to give you this."

She opens her sketchbook and tears out the first page. It is the one Red has seen in her room. She finished it when he was sleeping.

It is a drawing of Red, in his usual outfit. In the background is all of his pokemons. He is smiling The Smile, the one that was on his face when he told everyone he would return from the airship, the one that holds infinite warmth and sincerity and good-heartedness. Her drawing is spot on. Red is no art connoisseur, but he can tell she has put more effort in it than any other sketch in her room by the way every small detail is included so lovingly.

Red is lost for word for a moment. After a few false starts he finally manages "I…It so beautiful. Thank you."

Yellow's head is so low Red cannot see her face. It is all as well for Yellow since it hides her uncontrollable blush. "I know it's not much but, but, I hope you would keep it."

"It isn't 'not much' at all! You don't know how much it means to me. I don't know how to repay you."

"You don't have to. I have enough to pay you back for to start with."

"If so then…Thank you, just thank you. It's late now, I shouldn't take too much of your time. I'll see you soon. Bye!"

And when she looks up at Red to wave him goodbye, she thinks to herself, _You have repaid me more than enough already._

Because on his face now is The Smile.


End file.
